Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to (a) support new and emerging talent performing at grassroots music venues and (b) improve funding opportunities.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is committed to supporting emerging musical talent and our grassroots music venues, which are the lifeblood of our world-leading music sector.
The Government is supporting grassroots music through Arts Council England’s (ACE’s) Supporting Grassroots Live Music (SGLM) ring fenced fund of £1.5m. The fund is designed for organisations - including venues and promoters - with little or no prior experience of public funding applications.
DCMS supported culture, including grassroots music, during Covid-19 through the unprecedented £1.57bn Culture Recovery Fund (CRF). In England, the CRF provided immediate assistance to prevent 136 of our most loved and enduring grassroots music venues closing their doors for good.
In addition, the Energy Bill Relief Scheme has provided support to all businesses across Great Britain and Northern Ireland, including grassroots music venues, protecting all non-domestic consumers from soaring energy costs, cutting the cost of power bills and providing them with the certainty they needed to plan through the acute crisis this winter. We will continue to do so through the Energy Bills Discount Scheme until Spring 2024.
The Government also supports new and emerging talent through a range of export support programmes, including the successful Music Export Growth Scheme and the International Showcase Fund.
DCMS and the Department for Education jointly published the National Plan for Music Education in June 2022, which sets out the Government’s vision to enable all children and young people in England to have the opportunity to progress their musical interests and talents, including professionally.
Finally, DCMS is also developing a Creative Industries Sector Vision that will set out this Government’s ambitions, shared with industry, to support this high-growth sector to 2030.
Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will extend social investment tax relief to grassroots music venues.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Social Investment Tax Relief (SITR) was introduced in the Finance Bill in 2014. It aims to incentivise individuals to invest in organisations (‘social enterprises’) whose trading activities seek to generate profit and bring social or community benefit.
Eligibility criteria and guidance on how to apply for the relief scheme can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/venture-capital-schemes-apply-to-use-social-investment-tax-relief#trades.
Most profit seeking commercial trades qualify for the relief, and the criteria do not explicitly rule out grassroots music venues from receiving it. However, if your trade includes things like including property development or leasing activities, your enterprise may not qualify for SITR on the basis certain trades are often asset backed or have predictable or guaranteed revenue streams, making them lower risk. In turn, this could divert capital away from higher-risk enterprises that genuinely struggle to raise finance.
The Government keeps SITR under review in order to ensure it continues to meet its policy objectives in a way that is fair and effective.
Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has received correspondence from the Gambling Commission on a national register of gamblers.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
In October 2019, the Gambling Commission issued a challenge to the gambling industry to develop a workable ‘Single Customer View’ solution. The Single Customer View aims to facilitate data sharing between operators so that harm prevention efforts can be improved by measures which prevent disordered gamblers moving to another operator when one intervenes. As set out in its statement of 7 October, the Commission has no plans to mandate a particular single customer view solution at this stage. The next step is for industry to develop and test potential options.
The Gambling Commission has worked closely with the Information Commissioner’s Office to understand how a single customer view can be delivered in compliance with all relevant data protection requirements. The Information Commissioner’s Office recently published a report confirming it should be possible under data protection law for data to be shared safely and securely between online operators to help prevent gambling related harm. However, the report does not comment on how any single customer view should work in practice. We expect the industry to proceed to trial its planned single customer view solution and will continue to monitor developments closely.
The government is reviewing the Gambling Act 2005 to make sure it is fit for the digital age. Our call for evidence included questions on how the consumer data collected by operators could be better deployed and used to support the government’s objectives. We are considering the evidence carefully and aim to publish a white paper outlining any conclusions and proposals for reform in due course.
Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the (a) risk to personal data and (b) implications for privacy of the establishment of a national register of gamblers.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
In October 2019, the Gambling Commission issued a challenge to the gambling industry to develop a workable ‘Single Customer View’ solution. The Single Customer View aims to facilitate data sharing between operators so that harm prevention efforts can be improved by measures which prevent disordered gamblers moving to another operator when one intervenes. As set out in its statement of 7 October, the Commission has no plans to mandate a particular single customer view solution at this stage. The next step is for industry to develop and test potential options.
The Gambling Commission has worked closely with the Information Commissioner’s Office to understand how a single customer view can be delivered in compliance with all relevant data protection requirements. The Information Commissioner’s Office recently published a report confirming it should be possible under data protection law for data to be shared safely and securely between online operators to help prevent gambling related harm. However, the report does not comment on how any single customer view should work in practice. We expect the industry to proceed to trial its planned single customer view solution and will continue to monitor developments closely.
The government is reviewing the Gambling Act 2005 to make sure it is fit for the digital age. Our call for evidence included questions on how the consumer data collected by operators could be better deployed and used to support the government’s objectives. We are considering the evidence carefully and aim to publish a white paper outlining any conclusions and proposals for reform in due course.
Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of whether the introduction of a national register of gamblers is a proportionate response to the level of problem gambling.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
In October 2019, the Gambling Commission issued a challenge to the gambling industry to develop a workable ‘Single Customer View’ solution. The Single Customer View aims to facilitate data sharing between operators so that harm prevention efforts can be improved by measures which prevent disordered gamblers moving to another operator when one intervenes. As set out in its statement of 7 October, the Commission has no plans to mandate a particular single customer view solution at this stage. The next step is for industry to develop and test potential options.
The Gambling Commission has worked closely with the Information Commissioner’s Office to understand how a single customer view can be delivered in compliance with all relevant data protection requirements. The Information Commissioner’s Office recently published a report confirming it should be possible under data protection law for data to be shared safely and securely between online operators to help prevent gambling related harm. However, the report does not comment on how any single customer view should work in practice. We expect the industry to proceed to trial its planned single customer view solution and will continue to monitor developments closely.
The government is reviewing the Gambling Act 2005 to make sure it is fit for the digital age. Our call for evidence included questions on how the consumer data collected by operators could be better deployed and used to support the government’s objectives. We are considering the evidence carefully and aim to publish a white paper outlining any conclusions and proposals for reform in due course.
Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of whether the establishment of a national register of gamblers that contains the personal and financial details of members of the public should be debated in the House.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
In October 2019, the Gambling Commission issued a challenge to the gambling industry to develop a workable ‘Single Customer View’ solution. The Single Customer View aims to facilitate data sharing between operators so that harm prevention efforts can be improved by measures which prevent disordered gamblers moving to another operator when one intervenes. As set out in its statement of 7 October, the Commission has no plans to mandate a particular single customer view solution at this stage. The next step is for industry to develop and test potential options.
The Gambling Commission has worked closely with the Information Commissioner’s Office to understand how a single customer view can be delivered in compliance with all relevant data protection requirements. The Information Commissioner’s Office recently published a report confirming it should be possible under data protection law for data to be shared safely and securely between online operators to help prevent gambling related harm. However, the report does not comment on how any single customer view should work in practice. We expect the industry to proceed to trial its planned single customer view solution and will continue to monitor developments closely.
The government is reviewing the Gambling Act 2005 to make sure it is fit for the digital age. Our call for evidence included questions on how the consumer data collected by operators could be better deployed and used to support the government’s objectives. We are considering the evidence carefully and aim to publish a white paper outlining any conclusions and proposals for reform in due course.
Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Gambling Commission is planning to create a national register of gamblers.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
In October 2019, the Gambling Commission issued a challenge to the gambling industry to develop a workable ‘Single Customer View’ solution. The Single Customer View aims to facilitate data sharing between operators so that harm prevention efforts can be improved by measures which prevent disordered gamblers moving to another operator when one intervenes. As set out in its statement of 7 October, the Commission has no plans to mandate a particular single customer view solution at this stage. The next step is for industry to develop and test potential options.
The Gambling Commission has worked closely with the Information Commissioner’s Office to understand how a single customer view can be delivered in compliance with all relevant data protection requirements. The Information Commissioner’s Office recently published a report confirming it should be possible under data protection law for data to be shared safely and securely between online operators to help prevent gambling related harm. However, the report does not comment on how any single customer view should work in practice. We expect the industry to proceed to trial its planned single customer view solution and will continue to monitor developments closely.
The government is reviewing the Gambling Act 2005 to make sure it is fit for the digital age. Our call for evidence included questions on how the consumer data collected by operators could be better deployed and used to support the government’s objectives. We are considering the evidence carefully and aim to publish a white paper outlining any conclusions and proposals for reform in due course.
Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on using the NHS Test and Trace database system.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
No such discussions have taken place. No assessment has yet been made, nor any decisions made, on whether to use the data systems used by NHS Test and Trace for other purposes beyond those related to Covid-19. Any work to assess potential future uses of these data systems would be met from within the financial resources already allocated to NHS Test and Trace for the 2021/22 financial year.
Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department plans to use the NHS Test and Trace database system.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
No such discussions have taken place. No assessment has yet been made, nor any decisions made, on whether to use the data systems used by NHS Test and Trace for other purposes beyond those related to Covid-19. Any work to assess potential future uses of these data systems would be met from within the financial resources already allocated to NHS Test and Trace for the 2021/22 financial year.
Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has allocated any financial or other resources from his Department's budget to investigate potential future uses by his Department of the NHS Test and Trace database system.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
No such discussions have taken place. No assessment has yet been made, nor any decisions made, on whether to use the data systems used by NHS Test and Trace for other purposes beyond those related to Covid-19. Any work to assess potential future uses of these data systems would be met from within the financial resources already allocated to NHS Test and Trace for the 2021/22 financial year.